The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in many ways globally. In a survey conducted in 29 countries across the world, access to abortion was limited in approximately half of all countries, and 86% reported that access to contraceptive services was affected.
We investigated if the pandemic affected Swedish women’s decision to have an induced abortion and their access to contraceptive counselling. Swedish-speaking women (n=623) seeking a first-trimester abortion at seven clinics in different parts of Sweden, filled out an anonymous 39-item paper questionnaire with both multiple choice and open-ended questions on demographics, abortion and contraception between January and June 2021. The regional Ethical Review Board concluded that no formal ethical approval was needed as the questionnaire did not include any…